Blood of the Father
by actlikesummer
Summary: After deciding to be foster parents, Brian and Mia take in a seventeen year old girl with a troubled life. She isn't sure where she fits in until one day things about her past come out that change her life, as well as Dom's, forever. But like he always says, "The most important thing in life will always be family."
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys. So this story is probably going to be OOC at some points, and mostly focuses on her, though she intracts with the FF characters a whole lot (like every chapter).**

 **Just something I couldn't get out of my head. If you like it, let me know and it will give me fuel to keep going. (That was a terrible pun, I am so sorry.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fast and Furious series or anything familiar about it.**

* * *

The first words that entered Brian's mind as his eyes opened were a few choice expletives. As he realized the sky was still dark, but the ringing kept going, he groaned and shoved a pillow in his face. Glancing at his sleeping wife, he rolled off the bed and went to grab the loud device before it woke their sleeping four year old.

Groping blindly for the wall phone, he sighed as his hand made contact and the noise finally stopped. "Hmm….hello?"

"Mr. O'Connor?"

It was a woman's voice on the end of the phone, but he didn't recognize it. "Yes, this is Brian O'Connor. Is there a reason you're calling my house at…" he checked the clock. "Four o'clock in the morning?"

"Mr. O'Connor my name is Noelle Burks. I work for Child Protective Services." She stated and the fog cleared from his mind. "I am calling regarding your interest in fostering a child."

"You have a child for us?" He didn't mean to ask that way, but he was tired and now his mind was running.

"Brian?"

He turned and saw Mia standing there, her eyes wide in shock. She shrugged and they both listened on the phone.

"You originally requested that your prime choice would be a baby of either gender. We currently do not have a need for that, however, you are first on our call list, so we wanted to fill you in on a case we just got in. This is why I am calling so late." The woman stated, and Brian could tell she was as tired as he was.

He looked at Mia and shook his head. "Mia…"

"Please, keep going." Mia said for him, giving him a look.

"I am currently looking for a foster family for a seventeen year old girl. She was just brought in, and has nowhere to go. I will warn you, though, her situation isn't an easy one. I can try to find another arrangement if you are not interested in this case, but I thought I would give you the option, as you were at the top of our list." She stated once more.

"Can you give us a second?" Brian asked, looking at his wife.

"Of course." She stated and he turned to Mia.

"Mia…we didn't sign on for a teenager." He said quickly.

She nodded. "I know. We're not at all prepared and we have no idea how to raise a teenager yet." She sighed. "I don't see how we could take in that poor girl. It's just sad."

Brian looked at her for another second before he nodded and sighed. "Ms. Burks?"

"Have you made a decision?" She asked quietly.

He nodded. "We'll do it."

Mia looked up surprised, but Brian saw the happiness on her face. He knew that although everything she had said was true, neither of them were about to turn this opportunity down.

"Wonderful. I am glad to hear it." She paused. "I have her here now, asleep on my couch. You can come anytime you wish to sign the paperwork. Is there a time that works for you?"

"I mean…does now work? That couch cannot be comfortable for her." He said before thinking it all the way through.

There was a pause. "Sure. I understand you have another child so if you need to wait, that is fine. We can manage until the morning."

"We'll be there in half an hour. Can you give me the address?"

* * *

"What are we doing, Brian?" Mia asked as they drove to the CPS building.

Dom and Letty had instantly agreed to watch Jack while they went, and they were grateful. This was a rare opportunity.

"We're providing a home for a young girl who needs it. It is what we signed up to do, Mi." He reminded her. "I know it wasn't what we thought but it could be okay."

"I love you." She smiled. Then she bit her lip. "I wonder what she meant by a complicated situation. I hope she isn't a trouble child on drugs or something. We really cannot handle that."

He nodded. "I guess we will find out when we get there."

Five minutes later, they were escorted into the office by a woman in her forties. "You must be the O'Connors. I'm Noelle."

"It's nice to meet you." Brian said and introduced them. "Can I ask…I didn't think CPS stayed this late working on cases."

She nodded. "This is a special case for me. I've known this girl a long time. Come on…she's in here."

They followed her into the next room, and saw a standard office complete with a desk, fake plants, a couch, and an auburn haired teenager curled up asleep. The first thing Brian noticed was the bruise on her cheek. His doubts were instantly gone and the only thing in his head was hatred for whoever gave it to her.

Noelle knelt down next to her and shook her gently. She stirred and Noelle whispered to her. A moment later, the young woman sat up and looked at them through bleary eyes. "Hi."

"Eleanor Ross, meet Brian and Mia O'Connor." Noelle said with a smile. "These will be your new foster parents."

"It's Nora." She said and sent a look to Noelle, though they could tell it wasn't meant to be mean, but sarcastic. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you."

Mia nodded. "Of course. It's nice to meet you too." She smiled at the girl. "We also have a son, but you'll meet him tomorrow."

Nora shrugged. "That's cool. I like kids." Then she turned to Noelle. "Can we get this started? I'm sure everyone wants to get back to sleep…"

Noelle nodded. "That is a great idea. Please, this shouldn't take us very long."

An hour later, Nora sat in the back of the car as they pulled into their driveway. It was a simple house but she thought it looked nice. Brian and Mia stepped out and suddenly he was holding open the door for her. She thanks him and followed them inside.

"You're back."

She didn't see who had spoken but it was a deep voice that gave her the first impression of the new people. When Brian and Mia moved aside, she came face to face with another couple, and she wasn't sure what to do.

"Dom, Letty…this is Nora." Mia smiled and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Dom is my brother and Letty is his wife."

Nora waved slightly. "Hi. Like she said, I'm Nora."

Sensing the tension, Brian cleared his throat. "Nora we have a room already set up for you upstairs. I can show you that now so you can get some more sleep. I'm sure you'll like the bed better than that couch."

She smiled and shrugged. "I'm sort of used to it. But that would be great thank you."

She said goodnight to everyone else and carried her singular bag up the stairs behind her new foster father.

When they were gone, Dom turned to his sister. "She seems interesting."

"She went through some things. Things we don't know about yet, but her social worker seemed pretty relieved that we agreed to take her in." She said sadly.

He nodded. "Did she seem…familiar to you at all? Something about her…I don't know, she reminds me of someone. I can't place it."

"You're crazy Dom." Letty chuckled. "Let's go home."

Upstairs, Brian stopped at the first door on the left and let her in. It wasn't a huge room, but it suited her. There was a desk and a bed and it had its own bathroom, which was nice. She'd never had that before.

"Wow. Thanks." She said before she caught herself.

He chuckled. "It's no problem, really. Make yourself at home and I'll go grab you another blanket."

He walked out, but when he came back a minute later he found her already asleep. She was still clothed and her hands were gripped around a blue stuffed animal. He sighed and covered her with the duvet he'd found.


	2. Chapter 2

**To the person who gave me the first review on this story, I want to say I'm sorry. I am sorry that you didn't like it. I am sorry that you this is a stupid concept or that it is overdone and "retarded". I am sorry you use that word, which is such a terrible thing to use and hurts people. I am sorry that you only know how to use mean words to give feedback. I am not sorry, however, that I am continuing this story.**

 **I write what I write for myself. If other people happen to enjoy it as well, it makes my heart swell with happiness. But other people's reactions are not why I write. I enjoy it and when I get an idea I like, that I want to see play out, I write it down. I only publish it in case other people might find some enjoyment from it too.**

 **My advice: you have that opinion about something? Don't read or view it. No one is making you. But you do not have to comment and be mean.**

 **Anyway, a lot of people are following and favoriting this and that makes me really happy! I am a little self-conscious about it now that the person gave me that review, but like I said I like it so I hope those that like it so far continue to do so.**

 **I only ask one thing: If you like it, let me know. If you don't, that is fine! I still like reviews even if they aren't positive...but only with constructive criticism. Don't be mean please. It doesn't help anyone. If you can't be nice about it, I don't want to hear it.**

 **I would rather you stop reading than be mean. To all of you who aren't mean, and may actually find at least part of this interesting, thank you. I appreciate every one of you.**

 **Thanks,**  
 **Marty**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fast and Furious series or anything familiar about it.**

* * *

"Daddy."

Brian's brain took a second to register the voice that was now entering his mind. When he did, his eyes opened and the bright sunlight that had entered the bedroom now seared into his vision. Rubbing his eyes, he felt a small finger poking him in the side.

"Hey buddy." He yawned out. "What's up?"

"I'm hungry." His son stated quickly and just stared at him.

Nodding, Brian sighed. "Can you wait for me in the kitchen, buddy? I'll be right down."

Nodding quickly, Jack sped off and left the room. Brian listened as his little feet raced down the stairs and put his hands on his face. "Oh my gosh."

"I wonder how he will take all of this."

Brian looked over at his wife, and saw that she was now awake as well. She looked at him and smiled. He smiled back and they stared at each other for a moment. Brian thanked God every day for being blessed with such a wonderful woman. He wasn't sure he could handle life without her by his side.

"I guess we'll have to see." He paused. "But it might be worse if we don't hurry to the kitchen. We wouldn't want him burning the place down trying to do it himself."

Mia chuckled. "Well he is his father's son."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked as she got up and walked to her closet. "Mia."

She simply smiled and shut the door.

Five minutes later, they were walking together down to the kitchen and heard Jack's voice echoing throughout the halls. Stopping, they looked at each other with confused glances. Mia turned her head and smiled.

"Nora's awake." She stated.

Brian turned and saw the door to her room open, and the bed made neatly. He noticed that her things were still packed in her backpack. He hoped that uncertainty and doubt would change soon. They walked down the stairs a bit, but stopped when they caught sight of the kitchen.

Jack was standing in front of Nora, who stood in front of the refrigerator. Mia smiled, liking the outfit that the young woman had chosen. She wore a black and white striped, long sleeved shirt and a black skirt. She wore a brown belt at her midsection, knee high black socks, and black combat boots. On her head she wore a black knit beanie, and a scarf of the same material around her neck.

"Who are you?" They heard Jack ask, and almost moved to stop him.

It was Nora's response that stopped them. "I'm Nora. I'm going to be staying here for a while."

"Why?"

She smiled. "Your mommy and daddy are letting me stay here so I can be somewhere safe. They are really nice people."

He looked at her skeptically, before pointing at her. "Can you make pancakes?"

Brian looked at Mia and rolled his eyes, with a smile on his face. Nora had a similar reaction, Mia noted.

"I can, actually." She chuckled. "You know…I can make them into any shape you want."

The four year old's eyes went wide and he stared at her. "Anything?"

She nodded. "Anything."

"I want a car!" He exclaimed and jumped up and down. "A really cool one!"

She smiled again, and put her hands on her hips. "One really cool car coming up for the big man."

Brian and Mia both look at them shocked, as Jack moved forward and hugged her legs. "Thank you for being my sort of sister."

Nora smiled and knelt down next to him. "Thank you for being my sort of brother."

She tweaked his nose, and looked up as Brian and Mia walked down the stairs. Jack, seeing his parents, instantly ran to them.

"Daddy! She can make car pancakes!" He yelled and Brian chuckled.

"She can? That's crazy!" He played along and sent Nora a look, which she smiled at.

Jack nodded. "Yeah!" Then her turned and ran full speed at her.

"Wait, Jack-" Mia tried to yell to stop her son from plowing her over.

She was interrupted, however, when Nora turned and easily caught him in her arms, settled him on her hip, and looked at them. "Is it okay if I use your oven?"

A little impressed, Mia nodded. "It's your oven now too. You don't have to ask, honey."

Nora nodded, before turning back to the oven and spoke animatedly to Jack. Giving each other a look, Brian and Mia moved to get some coffee and watch the exchange between the younger two. They spoke back and forth for a few minutes, before she set him down.

"Now sit down so you can eat this." She teased and he did as he was told.

He sat patiently as she plated his food set it in front of him. She put it on the table, and Brian peeked at it. "Wow. Is that a Dodge Charger?"

She nodded. "2015. I have a thing for cars." She shrugged.

He looked at Mia. "Oh this is going to work. I like her."

"Where did you learn to make those pancakes?" Mia asked her.

Nora smiled and sat down next to Jack. "My friend Paige and I got really into watching Youtube videos of people doing it. It's not so hard once you get the hang of it."

"That is really cool." Brian told her honestly. "I've never seen something like that." Then he paused. "You know he'll want pancakes everyday now."

She chuckled. "We'll see."

A few minutes later, Jack finished his food and looked at his mother. "School?"

She nodded. "Yes you have to go to school. Come on, I'll help you get ready."

Jack raced out of the room, and Mia looked at her before following. "I was thinking that you could skip today, and maybe Letty and I could help you settle in a bit."

The red haired girl looked at her, and both adults saw the relief hidden in her eyes. "I would love that, thank you."

Mia nodded, glanced at her husband, and left the room. Silence enveloped the room for a moment before Brian cleared his throat. "You're really good with him."

Nora sat back in her chair and sighed. "I have been in my fair share of foster homes. You kind of have to be good with kids when you're constantly subjected to new ones."

With his interest piqued, Brian raised an eyebrow. "How many have you been in?" Then he stopped, shaking his head. "That was stupid, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you that."

She waves him off. "It doesn't matter. You'd probably see it in my file at some point anyway. I've been in twelve foster homes." She caught the look on his face. "It's a lot, I know. It used to really get to me, but you learn to go with it after a while."

"Twelve? Why have there been so many?" He asked, surprised at this news.

She shrugged again. "My mom doesn't actually want me in her life, she just likes to take the happiness away from other people. Whenever she is sick of me, she sends me off, but at some point she feels like I've gotten too comfortable and takes me back again." Nora rolled her eyes and crossed one leg over the other. "It's a routine at this point."

Brian watched as she spoke about her mother, and glanced at her bruise again. It looked worse than it had the night before, but Nora didn't appear to even notice it. Even so, it made Brian angry that someone would hurt her and he wondered if it had ever happened before now.

Leaning forward, he clasped his hands together and made sure she had eye contact with him before he spoke. "You are safe here. You know that, right?"

She didn't respond, and just stared at him.

His heart broke a little that she didn't believe him, but he was going to change that. They all were.

"So, what did that little pistol say before we got down here?" He asked, changing the subject. The last thing he needed to do was make her feel awkward on her first morning with them.

"Well he told me a little bit about your family." She paused and smirked. "All of them."

Brian nodded and laughed out loud. "Oh yeah, them. I sort of forgot about them."

She shook her head. "Something tells me they won't like hearing that." She smiled. "They sound interesting."

"They are. But they are the best people you'll ever meet, I promise you that." He sipped his coffee again. "They are going to want to meet you once they hear about this. But only when you're ready."

Nora shrugged again and stood to rinse Jack's plate. "Honestly, I'm used to meeting people. It really doesn't matter to me when it is."

Brian watched her and nodded. "Cool, we'll let them know. You know you don't have to do that, right?"

Nora's expression turned to a confused one, before she looked down at the dishes she was washing. "Oh, right, sorry." She paused. "Habit."

Brian was saved from having to respond when the back door opened and his business partners walked in. No one missed the slight jump Nora gave when they suddenly appeared, but didn't comment on it.

"Hey, Bri." Letty said as Dom sat down at the table. "Nice to see you when it isn't dark out."

He snorted. "Yeah, sounds about right."

Dom turned and looked at Nora. "That's a nice shiner you got there."

Nora felt all eyes turn to her and smirked. "I guess I'm used to pissing people off. It's a bad habit of mine."

"Wonderful. You'll love the rest of this family if that is the case." Mia said as she and Jack walked back into the room.

"Hey buddy, you ready for preschool?" Dom asked him with a smile.

"Uncle Dom! Nora made me car pancakes!" He exclaimed as they walked out the door, and she saw Dom glance back at her before disappearing around the corner of the house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Please note: People are alive in this story. Not dead. You'll see what I mean later on. Just making that clear. Also, Mia's not pregnant and the Toretto house wasn't blown up. Um...basically if you see something different in here than in the series, just go with it.**

 **Additional note: This chapter has a song in it. Yes, I typed out the lyrics. No, not every chapter will have it. One three (including this one) will. I do not own any of them. This song is "Crazier Than You" by from the Addams Family Musical. I do not own that, nor do I own Fast and Furious.**

* * *

As the guys left, Letty looked at the teenager in front of her. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, Letty could tell she was nervous and felt for her. It couldn't be easy going through big changes like that, and knew from her own experiences that being thrust into a world you don't know was never fun.

"So what did you want to do today?" Mia asked her as she sat down at the table with another cup of coffee.

Nora shrugged. "I don't really know. I'm usually in school right now so it's weird when I have the opportunity to do something else, I'm never really sure what to do."

Mia smiled sadly at her. "Well, everyone needs a day off of school at one time or another." She glanced at Letty. "This one was barely ever present and look how she turned out."

Letty rolled her eyes. "Oh whatever, princess."

Nora laughed at this and felt better than she had a few minutes before. "Why do I get the feeling this isn't a normal family?"

Letty nodded. "Now you're catching on."

Mia sat back in her chair and chuckled. "So you said you had a friend named Paige?"

"Yeah, we're really close. I've known her for a few years now and she's put up with everything; new families, old families, broken plans because of it. She's great." Nora told them. "When I don't show up for school today, she'll figure everything out. It's our routine now."

"She sounds really great." Letty told her. "It's nice to have friends like that."

She looked at Mia and the women smiled at each other. Nora saw the exchange and her heart lifted a little bit. It looked as though the four adults she had met so far were extremely close and always had been. If that was the case, she figured things couldn't be too bad around there and decided she would go into this situation with a better attitude than she had with any of the other ones.

"So are you in any activities at school?" Mia asked her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Nora nodded instantly. "I'm actually participating in the musical this winter. We're in rehearsals now but it looks like it will be a good one."

"What musical are you doing?" Mia wondered. "Do you have a part in it?"

Nora grinned. "We're doing the 'Addams Family'…and I'm Wednesday Addams."

"Seriously? That's awesome." Letty exclaimed. "I didn't know it was a musical."

Nora nodded and paused.

"What is it?" Letty asked, sensing her hesitation.

"I…actually have a rehearsal for it after school. It's just my character and one other that has to be there, so it's kind of important." She paused again. "Would you guys be offended if I went to it?"

She looked up at them and Mia shook her head. "Honey, no. Of course you can" She smiled at her and laid her hand on Nora's. "Would it be okay if I, or we, came too?"

Nora paused. She had never been asked that before and had never expected anyone to be interested in it. "Uh…sure. You don't have to, really. But if you want to…sure."

"Well we do." Letty told her eagerly. "You're in a whole new world now honey. You might as well get used to it."

Nora looked between the two women and smiled. "Thank you."

Mia nodded. "You don't have to thank us. We mean everything we say."

"Now…how about before we go anywhere, we have some girl time." She glanced at Mia. "Do you want us to help you touch up your makeup?"

"That would be great." Nora let out the nerves she was holding. "I don't really have much in the bag I brought."

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore. Let's get ready and we'll take you to get everything you need. After all, you'll be here for a while so you may as well get settled in." Mia stood. "We'll help you."

* * *

"God, I remember going here." Letty stated as they walked into the high school. "I hated it."

Nora chuckled. "I don't mind it. I have Paige and the musical and that makes everything not so bad."

They walked passed the auditorium and Nora opened the door. "This is where we are rehearsing today."

The women followed her as they walked down the aisle, and stopped when her teacher came toward them. "Nora! I wasn't sure you would be here since you missed school today."

She nodded. "I'm sorry. I was placed with a new family super late last night, so they called me in. But I wanted to practice." She turned to them. "Letty, Mia, this is Mr. Williams, my teacher. Mr. Williams these are two of my new family members. They wanted to watch us rehearse if that is okay?"

He nodded immediately with much more enthusiasm than Letty or Mia expected. "Of course! Why don't you go get ready. Nate is in the back waiting for you."

She nodded and waved, before heading backstage. Mr. Williams turned to them and sighed. "It's nice to meet you."

"I hope we're not intruding. My husband and I are new at this so I wanted to see what makes her who she is. We're sort of floundering." Mia smiled worriedly.

He shook his head. "Actually, I am very happy to see you taking an interest in her. Lord knows she needs it."

"Why do you say that?" Letty asked him curiously.

He sighed again and glanced behind him to make sure she couldn't hear them. "No other family that she's lived with has truly cared about what she does." Then he scoffed. "And her mother just sucks, honestly. That woman needs to leave her the hell alone and let her move on with her life."

Mia nodded. "She told us a bit about that. It is so sad. My husband and I are hoping to change that."

"Good. She deserves so much better than she's gotten." He said sincerely. "Now, let's sit. I think you will enjoy this."

Letty and Mia sat in the row behind the teacher and watched him shuffle his papers. Then he cleared his throat. "Okay guys. We're ready."

They watched as Nora and another boy, Nate, came out on stage and stood a few feet apart from each other.

"You guys were supposed to try and memorize the lyrics, so let's try it without the scripts if you can." He told them and started the music.

 _[Nora]  
Once, I was hopeful_ _  
_ _Thought we were one._ _  
_ _Life, less than perfect_ _  
_ _Finally begun._ _  
_ _But, now i wonder_ _  
_ _Are we undone?_

 _I wanna treasure you in death as well as life_ _  
_ _I wanna cut you with my love and with my knife_ _  
_ _But can I live as your tormentor and your wife?_

 _When I am crazier than you_ _  
_ _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _And nothing up 'til now has proved me wrong_ _  
_ _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _That's just the overview_ _  
_ _So get on board or simply move along_

 _[Nate]  
_ _I'm not impulsive_

 _[Nora]  
And yet I truly love you_

 _[Nate]  
I'm not deranged_

 _[Nora}_ _  
_ _I'd never ask that of you_

 _[Nate]  
_ _But in this moment_ _  
_ _I feel I've changed._ _  
_ _I wanna climb Mt. Everest go to Mozambique_ _  
_ _I wanna be impulsive want to be unique_ _  
_ _Can you believe I mean it when you hear me speak_

 _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _And now I'll prove to you exactly how_ _  
_ _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _I'll do what you can do_ _  
_ _From here on in I give my solemn vow_

 _[Nora]  
_ _Pluck the arrow from its quiver,_ _  
_ _Hold it in your hand be brave._

 _[Nate]  
_ _Pierce the apple not the liver_ _  
_ _Or we're dancing on my grave._

 _[Nora]  
_ _Place it in the bow and steady,_

 _[Nate]  
Can't you shoot that thing already!_

 _[Nora]  
I wanna demonstrate that fear is my ideal_

 _[Nate]  
Girl believe me fear is your ideal_

 _[Nora]  
_ _Cause in the moment that you're frightened life is real_

 _[Nate]  
Then my life must be real real!_

 _[Both]  
And in a flash when i release and seal the deal_

 _I'm crazier than you  
_ _I'm crazier than you  
_ _And nothing hurts me when i hear you say  
_ _I'm crazier than you  
_ _Psychotically into  
_ _And that is all i need to face the day_

 _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _And live or die I'll let you have control_ _  
_ _I'm crazier than you_ _  
_ _So say you love me too_ _  
_ _From here on in you're singing to my soul_ _  
_ _My soul!_

The music ended and both actors took a second to catch their breath. From the audience, both Letty and Mia sat there speechless. When Nora had told them she was in the musical, they hadn't expected much. But seeing the talent that she had made them both realize how much potential she really had and how little she had a chance to use it.

They rehearsed the song a few more times, adding little movements and inflections in different spots, but they found it very interesting to watch. Soon, it was over and they waited for Nora to come back to them.

The first thing she noticed was that they both looked impressed. "So…what did you think?"

"You were incredible!" Mia told her. "Why didn't you tell us you could sing like that?"

"She has only known us a day, Mia." Letty joked. "But she's right…that was awesome."

Nora blushed. "Thanks. It will get better by the winter performance, but I really like this musical so it is fun to do it."

"Well good." Mia said as they walked out. "Now why don't we go pick up the monster and see what the guys are up to?"

* * *

"So you own this place?" Nora asked Letty as they parked in front of the garage.

It wasn't anything big, but Nora enjoyed it all the same.

"We all do." Letty told her. "Brian, Dom, and I work here and we've owned it for a few years now."

"That's cool." She said.

The second they walked inside, they heard a scream and Jack was running for them. He hugged Nora's legs much like he had that morning, and smiled up at her. "Hi!"

"Hi!" She laughed. "What are you up to?"

"I helped Daddy and Uncle Dom fix cars!" He said with excitement and jumped up and down.

Nora looked up and saw the men watching them. Brian was smiling. Dom had no expression. She knelt down and hugged him. "I can see that!"

She stood again and held him in her arms. They walked over to Dom and Brian and Letty kissed her husband. "How was work today?"

"It was fine." He replied and Nora saw how happy they looked. She saw the love pass between them and a small smile played on her lips. "So how was your day?"

Letty gestured toward Nora. "Well apparently this one can sing pretty damn well."

Nora blushed again. "I'm okay. I just like what I do."

Mia shook her head. "Don't do that now. You are really good." She smiled. "We watched her perform a musical number at her school today. She's going to be Wednesday Addams."

Embarrassed by the compliments, Nora turned her attention to Jack. Suddenly, the side door opened and a young man came in. He looked to be about eighteen and he wore similar work clothes to Brian and Dom.

"Who's that?" He asked, gesturing to her.

Nora glared at him. "Wow. Those manners nearly knocked me over."

He grinned at her sarcasm. "You must be Nora. Jack told me about you."

"That's Dustin." Brian told her. "He's our intern."

She nodded and continued to look at him. He just grinned back and stared at her. After a moment, she shook her head and turned back to her new family. Catching Letty's glance, she rolled her eyes and they both chuckled.

"So we were thinking about having that family dinner tomorrow night." Brian told her. "That gives you time to settle in and prepare yourself."

"That's cool." She replied happily. "I kind of can't wait to meet them. It should be interesting."

They laughed. "Yeah…just you wait."

She realized then that she had spoken the truth. She couldn't wait to meet them. It was something she hadn't ever felt and she thought that maybe now she could finally settle in somewhere. Maybe this time, things wouldn't have to be so bad.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Thank you to the people who are liking this story. I hope you continue to do so.**

 **To the review who told anonymous to "calm their tits": I love you. You made me smile so thank you.**

 **To address the guest(s) that have reviewed: I do realize that usually, or many times, fostering is temporary. Not every fostering couple adopts. However, sometimes they do. I have a family friend who I'm using loosely to base this on. She wanted a baby girl, but got two (older) brothers instead. She was fostering, and then adopted them. So before you come at me, saying that it isn't about adoption...it can be. I realize that this story may not seem entirely realistic, but fanfiction doesn't always have to be. I'm not looking for this story to be published as a novel or something. I'm writing for fun.**

 **And while there is no rule or law against posting those reviews, I was just requesting thet you don't. There is no point in it, because instead of being nice and saying those things, people are being rude. Also, I'm not convinced the first reviewer even read my story. So I'm sorry if you don't agree. But people like this story, and more importantantly I do, so I'm continuing it. And you don't have to read it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Fast and Furious series or anything familiar about it. I also don't own the Power Rangers. I just have a lot of knowledge about them.**

* * *

"Are you sure you have everything?"

Nora smiled in the passenger seat and turned to look at Mia. She'd decided to go back to school the following day, though both Brian and Mia assured her she could take one more day if she wanted to.

"I'm sure." She chuckled and unbuckled her seatbelt, reaching for the backpack that she had laid in the backseat. "I'm used to this. I have everything I need and I know I can call you guys if I have to."

She climbed out of the car and swung her backpack over one shoulder. Leaning down, she looked through the open window at Mia, who looked nervous. "It's going to be fine, Mia. I've been going to the school for three years now."

"But I've never done this!" She paused. "This is so weird. I did the exact same thing when Jack went to preschool for the first time."

"I'm touched." Nora told her honestly. "I have rehearsal again after school. Paige said she would drive me."

This time Mia nodded, her mind on other things. "Okay. We have dinner at Dom and Letty's house at six. If rehearsal runs over, let us know. Otherwise meet us there. You have the address, right?"

"Yeah, Letty gave it to me yesterday." Nora replied. "I will see you guys there at six."

She turned and walked away. Mia started to drive away when she rolled down the window again. "Have a good day!"

Nora spun around, grinning, and waved. Mia shook her head and as she was driving away, noticed another girl run up to Nora and jump on her. Nora simply laughed and shoved her off.

"Paige." Mia whispered to herself, and drove off to work.

As they walked into the school, Paige turned to her friend. "You look cute today."

Nora smiled. "I wonder who helped me pick it out?"

Paige smiled and shrugged. "Hmm…I don't know. She must be pretty smart though."

Nora laughed. She liked this outfit, she always had. She had taken a black skirt that once belonged to Paige and paired it with a gray sweater and knee-high black boots. Her hair was curled loosely and hung over her shoulders and she one a simply black necklace to complete the look.

"Yeah, I don't know about that." She muttered and walked away, Paige gaping at her from behind.

* * *

"So what are they like?" Paige asked Nora as they ate lunch in the cafeteria. "Give me all the gory details and we'll make fun of them, like always."

Nora shrugged. "Actually, they seem great. I don't think we have to do that this time."

"What do you mean?" Paige asked, concerned about her friend's change in attitude.

Without fail, she had always come to school complaining about her family, whether it was her real one or a foster one. Now that she wasn't, Paige did not know how to handle the whole situation.

"I mean…they're really nice. You know they came to rehearsal with me yesterday?" At Paige's surprised look, Nora nodded. "I know. They even liked it. And their son is adorable. They're witty and nice, and smart…I think I got lucky this time, Paige."

Before she could reply, Paige groaned. "Shit."

Nora rolled her eyes. Ever since they'd started high school, she had been bullied. From her family life to her involvement in the drama department, she was perfect ammo for people at her school.

"Well if it isn't the homeless child and her lesbian lover."

"Go away, James." Nora told him, shaking her head.

"You know I heard you landed with another family." He teased. "What isn't this like your fortieth? Fiftieth?"

"Do you have a point?" Paige asked, getting ready to jump at him if needed.

"Did you know that your new family didn't always live here?" He asked. "Yeah, they were felons on the run. Then they got lucky. You better be careful….wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

This time, Nora slammed her tray down and stood to face him. "Why don't you just go the fuck away, James, or I'll call them and have them do that bad stuff to you!"

The people around them went quiet and watched them as they stared at each other. Finally, he backed off and walked away, keeping the rest of his comments to himself. She'd never fought back before, and now nobody knew what to do.

"What was that?" Paige asked and she sat back down.

Nora looked at her, a little shocked herself. "I…don't know. I guess…" She paused. "I really like them, Paige."

The other girl sighed. "Just be careful, please."

"I know. But I don't think they'd hurt me." She said in defense of them.

Paige nodded. "I don't just mean from them."

Nora stopped and nodded. She knew Paige was right. The second she started to feel like she liked them, her mother would come back and rip her away again. It happened every time, but this time they both knew it would be worse. And Paige just hoped it didn't hurt her too badly when it did.

* * *

It was nearly six when the girls left the school and headed for the Toretto household. With the gps on Paige's phone, it didn't take them long to find. The first thing they saw when they drove up, had Nora's eyes bugging out of her head.

"No way." She got out of the car and stared at the various sports cars that filled the street. "This is so awesome."

Paige rolled her eyes. "You're insane, you know that."

"You look like a little kid in a candy store!" Nora looked up and saw Letty on the porch. "Why don't you tell your friend to join us for dinner."

She turned to Paige and shrugged. "It's up to you."

"I don't see why I couldn't. Mom and Dad are going out so I'd be alone anyway." Paige replied and turned the car off.

The girls walked up the steps together and Letty shook Paige's hand. "Paige, right?"

The younger girl nodded. "Thank you for inviting me."

"I'm Letty." She told her. "I thought Nora might need some support while meeting our family. We can be a lot to handle sometimes."

They followed her into the house and Nora looked at the pictures on the walls. There weren't many, but she could see the love that flowed between them. It hurt her heart a bit, seeing how different her life could have been if she'd grown up in a real family.

They stepped into the kitchen and Letty smirked. "Look who decided to show up."

Brian, Dom, and Mia were all cooking in different areas. When Letty spoke, Mia looked up and smiled. "You must be Paige."

Paige chuckled and nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"Dinner's ready." Dom said loudly, and moved past them.

As they grabbed food to help carry, Paige looked at Nora with a confused glance. Nora simply shrugged and followed Brian out the door. The second they hit the stairs, conversation stopped. They continued to walk as everyone slowly looked at her.

"Guys, this is Nora and her friend Paige." Letty said. "Be nice."

"Hey we're always nice." The man next to Dom stated. "You know, I'm sick of people thinking that we're not nice just because we scare people." Then he paused. "Wait…what were we talking about?"

The man standing next to them laughed. "Did you run out of words you know, Roman?"

Roman glared at him. "No! I just lost my train of thought, that's all."

Nora set down the bowl she was carrying and blinked at him. "You know, the only reason people lost their train of thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."

Roman gaped at her and everyone stared at her. Then, the other man started laughing and ran over. "That was brilliant. I'm stealing that one." He high fived her. "I'm Tej, and that idiot is Roman. Don't pay any attention to him, he's basically a big baby with an even bigger forehead."

"Note taken." She smiled. "I'm Nora."

One by one she met the whole group, and found it much easier to fit in than she realized. They were all about cars, they were nice, and not once did they make her or Paige feel out of place.

They all sat to eat, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Jack sneak a bite of food. Dom cleared his throat. "I saw that, little man."

Jack blushed and giggled. "Sorry Uncle Dom."

"You know that means you say the prayer, buddy." Brian said from the other side of her, and looked at the girls. "It's a family thing."

Immediately everyone held hands and bent their heads as Jack bit his lip. "Dear God, thank you for this food and family. And thank you for Nora. She makes racecar pancakes and calls me her little monster. I really like her. Amen."

Nora felt Paige squeeze her hand under the table and felt her heart swell with happiness she hadn't felt in a long time. It was the first she was loved by someone who considered her family, and she wasn't sure how to respond to it.

Everyone broke apart and she smiled at him. "Thanks monster."

He grinned and looked at his dad. "Can I eat now?"

Brian chuckled. "Yes, buddy, you can eat now."

As everyone put food on their plate, Giselle looked at Jack. "So Jack, are you ready for Halloween? It's only a few weeks away…"

He bounced excitedly in his seat as Brian put a piece of chicken on his plate. "I'm going to be a Power Ranger!"

"Which one?" Roman asked, looking across the table at him.

"The red one!" He said and started to eat.

"That's my favorite one." He said.

Tej rolled his eyes. "You know there were like a million red rangers, right?"

"Oh shut up, Tej."

"No, he's right." Nora couldn't help but add her two cents. "There have been over twenty red rangers since the beginning."

Roman gave her a look. "Oh yeah? And what do you know about the Power Rangers?"

Paige smacked her forehead and the sound shut everyone up. "Oh here we go."

Nora raised one eyebrow and smirked. "Which one do you want to know about? Might Morphin'? Zeo? Turbo? Space? Galaxy? Lightspeed Rescue? Time Force? Wild Force? Ninja Storm? Dino Thunder? SPD? Mystic Force?" She paused. "I know there are more than that, but I sort of lost track after Mystic Force. I can tell you anything you want to know about anything involving them."

Once again, Tej laughed. "Oh yeah I like her. Can we just let her follow Roan around and make fun of him all day?"

Dom had finally cracked a smile. "You know a lot about Power Rangers."

Despite her surprise that he spoke to her, she nodded. "Growing up in foster homes, you learn to watch whatever you can get. I lived with a lot of small children, so it was usually always on."

He nodded but made no more comments. After that, conversation started again and everything went back to normal.

…

It was only about eight when Paige left, and Nora wasn't sure what to do. Jack had gone to bed in Dom and Letty's room a few minutes prior, and as she stood in the kitchen listening to everyone laugh and talk, she felt extremely out of place. She thought it would be easier, but now she didn't know if she could join them, or if she was supposed to leave them alone. No one had told her she could join them, but at the same time, no one said she could.

Using her past experiences as her decision maker, she sat down on the couch and waited for Brian and Mia to tell her it was time to leave. Fifteen minutes later she still sat in that same spot, and stared at the floor.

"See something interesting on the rug that I don't know about?"

She jumped and looked up to see Dom standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall. He'd come in to grab more beer when he saw her.

She shook her head. "I was waiting for Brian and Mia. I don't mind sitting here for however long they are."

Dom watched her carefully and noticed that she looked a little more lost than she had during dinner. "Why didn't you come outside?"

She waited a second to see if he was testing her. "I didn't think I was welcome."

It was that moment that Dom realized that the young girl he wasn't sure of, also wasn't sure of herself. He'd spent the last two days wondering what her deal was, but looking at her now he realized she was just a lost kid looking for somewhere to stop running.

"You're family now." He told her. "You are always welcome."

She continued to sit for a second, before she finally stood. Without speaking again, he turned and she followed him into the kitchen. Grabbing another pack of beer, he grabbed one and held it out to her.

Once again she gave him that lost and confused look. "What, you don't like beer?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No, I do. I'm just surprised you're handing me one."

"Like I said, you're family now." He continued to hold it out to her.

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to…" She said, a little more quietly than normal.

Dom nodded. "If you want it, take it. Even if they care, they won't get mad at you, they'll be mad at me."

She waited another moment before she reached out and took it from him. "Thank you."

He nodded again and walked out the back door. She followed him, and when they got to the group, Mia shook her head. "You gave her a beer, Dom?"

He smiled at his sister. "Hey, we never did toast to our new family member. I thought I'd welcome her in style."

Nora held the unopened beer and sat next to Mia. "I don't have to have it…"

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. Most kids your age have had alcohol, and I'd rather know about it than have you lie to us."

Nora smiled at her and twisted the top off of it. She took a long sip and sighed. It had been a while since she had a Corona as her parents only liked hard alcohol. It was nice to be able to drink the stuff she liked, rather than whatever she could find to numb the pain of her life.

"We better hurry this up." Han said with his arm around his fiancé. "There's a storm coming through here tonight."

"To our newest family member." Dom said, raising his bottle. "It doesn't matter what you've been through or how you got here. What matters now it where you go from here. Family is always the most important thing. You have that now. Remember that." He paused. "Welcome to the family."

She smiled and nodded her thanks to him, a gesture which he repeated. As the night wore on, the unsure feelings she had melted away and she found herself enjoying these people. Maybe Dome was right…they were her family and maybe now she wouldn't have to be alone again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is the next chapter. I am not sure when I will post the next one. It depends on when I can write more and if I can get on before my graduation party tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this!**

 **TRIGGER WARNING: There is a short scene of abuse in the beginning. It's super short and not graphic, but just giving a warning.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own "Fast and Furious" or anything familiar about it. I do own my characters.**

* * *

Nora's body shook as she curled up at the top of her bed with her eyes closed. The loud noise coming from outside her room frightened her more than she wanted to admit, and she knew that any second it could swallow her whole and she would cease to exist.

Just like she had predicted, the thunderous noise moved closer and suddenly her bedroom door was thrown open. Standing in the bright doorway was a drunk man, a bottle of whiskey in one hand and his belt in another.

"I'm sorry."

He grunted. "What did I tell you about talking back to me?"

She didn't respond, but watched him walk closer to the bed.

"What…too good to speak now?" He slurred.

She couldn't win, she knew that, and prepared herself for the beating that was to come. Suddenly, her legs were on fire and she cried out in pain. The belt had struck her across the thighs, and were bright red from the impact.

"Please stop!" She heard herself shout, knowing that no matter what she did he wouldn't.

"Do you think you rule this house?" This line came from a high-pitched female voice just outside the door. "You can't tell us what to do."

"Please…" She cried and felt punch after punch hit her body.

"You stupid, worthless, little shit."

"Nora…"

"You are a disgrace to this family!"

"Nora…"

"You deserve everything you get young lady and you say thank you."

"Nora!"

Nora shot up in bed, hearing a loud bang. She looked around the room and saw she was still in her dark room at her new house and not in the one trapped inside her mind. Then she looked down and saw something that horrified her.

The thud, she realized, had come from a body. Her eyes went wide and she met Jack's shocked gaze on the floor. She'd pushed him off the bed and he'd landed on the floor—hard. Suddenly, the room filled with light as Mia and Brian ran to the doorway.

The second their eyes landed on Jack, she panicked. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

She looked back and forth from them to Jack and didn't know what to do. Jack stood and ran out of the room, making her reaction even worse. Glancing at Brian, Mia hurried off after her son.

Nora instantly brought her knees to her chest and pulled her head down to them. She couldn't catch her breath, and now her nightmare was going to come true again. She'd hurt their child, and now she'd have to pay. She felt Brian move closer to her and shook her head.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry. Please…please don't." She cried and struggled to breathe properly.

"Nora…hey, Nora look at me." Brian said calmly, rubbing her back. Slowly her eyes met his. "It's okay. You didn't do it on purpose. He's not hurt. It's not him I'm worried about right now, it's you. Listen to my voice and breathe normally. You're okay. You're safe. I told you that, remember? No one is going to hurt you here."

A few moments later her breathing settled back into its normal rhythm and Brian sat next to her. "Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He paused. "Nora, you do believe me when I say that you're safe here, right? We're not going to let anything happen to you."

She sighed. "It's hard for me to accept that when I have never had that before."

He was going to respond again, when Mia walked back in followed by Jack. He carried his blanket and pillow and marched over to the bed. He pushed his stuff up next to her as Mia helped him climb up onto the mattress.

Then he looked at Brian. "I sleep in here tonight. I'm going to protect Nora from the monsters."

Nora smiled, tears in her eyes , and put her arm around him. "Thanks monster."

He smiled at her and curled into her side. She pulled her blanket up over them and Brian and Mia watched as their son fell back to sleep. Nora followed just as quickly. Shutting off the light, they walked back to their room. The second the door was closed, Brian turned to his wife.

"We need to see her file." He told her, concern written on his features. "That wasn't just any nightmare, Mia. She was screaming."

Mia nodded. "I know. She sounded like she was in pain."

"She thought I was going to hit her." Brian said and watched as Mia looked at him with a horrified expression. "I'm willing to bet that wasn't a dream, but a memory. A really nasty one."

Mia sat on the edge of their bed and Brian noticed she had tears in her eyes now too. "Brian…she can't go back to that. She told you her mom takes her back, right? How can anybody let that happen?"

He shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. But maybe her file will tell us something about how we can help her."

"I'll call in the morning." Mia told him.

One thing was for sure, they definitely weren't getting any sleep that night.

* * *

A few weeks later, Mia drove up outside the store she was supposed to meet Nora at. There hadn't been a rehearsal that day, so she and Paige were going to grab coffee and do their usual Wednesday routine. As she walked into the pet shop, Mia caught sight of the girls playing with various animals in the back.

"How can I help you today?" The woman behind the counter asked with a smile.

"I'm just here to pick someone up." She replied quickly.

The woman nodded. "Ah, you must be Nora's new foster mom. She said you'd be coming in here."

Mia smiled. "Do the girls work here? They say they come here every week."

"They do, every Wednesday." She looked back at them. "You see that little Yorkie next to her? About two months ago, they came in with that little thing. It was shaking and hadn't been properly taken care of for a long time. We got him back on his feet, but he won't go with anyone. He only wants her. So we keep him here and she comes in and takes care of him every week."

Mia was shocked. She saw how Nora was with him and sighed. "What's his name?"

"Groot." The woman smiled. "She named him herself."

At that moment they saw Nora look up and smile. Then she threw a ball for Groot and the girls snuck out of the room.

"How was your day?" Mia asked them.

"It was good." Nora said. "Math sucks, but what else is new?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "She always says that."

"Bye Helen. We'll see you next week." Nora smiled and they left the building.

They parted ways with Paige and climbed into Mia's car. "I thought we'd stop by the garage and see what they're up to. Is that okay?"

Nora nodded. "That's fine with me."

"Good. They picked up Jack today, so we can grab him and head home to start dinner." She told the younger girl.

When they arrived at the garage, they both noticed the tension in the room. Jack ran over and sat next to Nora. "The lady who works at the desk isn't coming anymore. Daddy and Uncle Dom are mad."

Nora smiled. "It's okay kid. They just need to find someone else to work here; then they'll be happy again."

She took his hand and they walked back to see Dom complaining to Mia. "I just don't know what to do. We have Dustin covering the mornings, but the afternoons are busier and we need him."

"I'll do it."

Everyone turned and looked at Nora. "What?" Dom asked.

"I said I'll do it. You need someone and I can come by after rehearsals, that about when she would start right?" Nora shrugged. "I can do it."

Brian sighed. "Nora, you don't have to-"

"I know. I want to." She smiled. "Plus this way you don't have to pay someone to do the work."

"That's stupid." Letty said. "Of course we're paying you."

"What problems are you causing now, new girl?"

Nora rolled her eyes and looked at Dustin. "I'm working here now, so you'll need to come up with something better than 'new girl'."

"Not a chance." He grinned.

Sending a look to the adults, she strode over to yell at him.

"Oh this will end well." Dom joked as her voice echoed behind them.

Laughing, Jack went to help his new friend. Mia took the opportunity and turned to them. "Noelle dropped off her file today.

"And?" Letty asked quickly.

"I'm waiting for Brian so we can read it together." She told them.

"Why don't we take them out to dinner tonight?" Dom suggested. "That way you can have time to read it without worrying about her."

"I don't know if she'll go for that, but it worth a shot." Brian said.

"Hey Jack, do you want to go to dinner with Aunt Letty and I tonight?" Dom shouted and the young boy nodded excitedly. "Nora, that offer is for you too."

She bit her lip. "I mean…I don't want to intrude."

Dom gave her a look. "Remember what I told you?"

She sighed. "That would be lovely, thank you."

"So it is settled. We'll take them without us when we leave here and bring them home after dinner." Letty smiled.

"Thanks." Mia smiled and watched as Nora went back to yelling at Dustin.


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is the next chapter. Sorry for the delayed post. My graduation party was yesterday and I was busy all night! I should have the next one up either tomorrow, or within the next few days for sure. Thanks for the patience!**

 **Hmm...I wonder what the guest reviewer will complain about this time?**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fast and Furious.**

* * *

The restaurant wasn't the nicest thing Nora had ever seen, but it was way better than the ones she'd grown up near. As she stared at her menu, she tried not to make it obvious that she had no clue what she was doing.

"So what looks good to everyone?" Dom asked.

"I'm getting a burger." Letty said. "Can't go wrong with a burger."

"Mac and cheese!" Jack exclaimed and they laughed.

"What about you, Nora?"

She paused and didn't look up from her menu. "I don't really know…"

"What do you usually get?" Letty asked her and took a sip of her water.

Nora closed her menu and but didn't speak.

Letty's face fell and she leaned across the table towards her. "You've never been out to eat before, have you?"

Nora blushed instantly, becoming embarrassed, and shook her head. "My parents weren't much for going out….and when you're in a foster home you are an added expense so you don't eat out; you're not invited to." **(A/N: I realize this is not always true. But she is speaking from her experiences.)**

Letty felt her heart break and looked at Dom, who pushed her menu back towards her. "Get whatever you think you'll like. Don't look at the prices, they don't matter."

The waitress came over then, and wrote down their order before walking away again. They sat there with small talk for a few minutes before Letty looked at her again. "So how is the musical coming along?"

"It's going pretty well. We're having a few set….mishaps." She said and grimaced. "Let's just say dodging from falling lights is not fun."

"Let me know if you guys need help with those." Dom said, an eyebrow raised. "I can fix those pretty quickly."

"Thanks. I'll let my director know." She smiled and picked up her water glass. "Otherwise it's moving along. The musical is in January and we have a lot of time but so much to do. And we lose some days because of holiday breaks."

"I'm sure it will be fine. You already have your lyrics memorized, so you shouldn't have too many problems." Letty agreed with her. "I can't wait to see the full show."

Nora coughed and choked on her water, nearly spitting it out. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Letty asked her. "Of course we're coming. We're family. Plus I'm interested to see what the musical is about. I love the 'Addams Family'."

Nora was in awe. "Wow, I just…I've never had anyone other than Paige come see my performances before. I didn't expect it."

"Well we'll be there." Dom joked. "With tomatoes."

Nora rolled her eyes as Jack tugged on her sleeve. "Will you color with me?"

She smiled and nodded. "Of course I will."

Dom and Letty watched with smiles as they colored together, talking the whole time.

* * *

While they were out to dinner, Mia and Brian sat at the kitchen table, Nora's file in between them. They'd already been sitting there for a few minutes, but neither wanted to open it.

Finally, Brian sighed. "Well I guess we should do this while we have the house free."

Mia nodded and opened the folder. She handed half of the papers to Brian and looked down at her own.

A few moments went by with neither of them speaking before Mia spoke. "Well she's a straight A student, but we already knew that. She hasn't ever ditched school or gotten in trouble."

"Thank God for that." Brian said and waited for her to continue.

"She's been in the hospital a dozen times."

Brian nodded. "That doesn't surprise me. I figured something was up when she had that bruise that first night."

"Bruises, cuts, a broken wrist…she's had pneumonia three times." Mia shook her head. "This poor girl."

"Well everything she said about her foster homes were true. There's been twelve of them over the past few years. Noelle notes that all of them had multiple foster children in them and she never lasted there long." He paused. "And her mother sounds like a piece of work. There are dozens of complaints against her, but nothing they could ever prove, which is why she keeps getting sent back there."

"It's hard to believe such a great girl came from such a horrible life." Mia said sadly. "I just feel so bad for her."

"Well she has us now. Hopefully everything will start to go better for her and she can have the life she deserves." He said hopefully. "I just hope we can keep her long enough to give it to her."

"Her parents sound like a real piece of work." Mia said to him and he nodded.

"It says here that her mom was married a few years back, but the man isn't her father." Brian read the sheets again. "Actually, there is no father listed on the birth certificate at all."

"What else does it say?" Mia asked, having to take a break from looking on her own.

Brian let out a breath. "Uh, let's see. Eleanor Lynn Ross, born August 21st at St. Joseph's Hospital. She was six pounds, thirteen ounces, nineteen inches. Doctor's name, Joellen Chambers. Mother's name, Veronica Ross."

Mia's head shot up instantly. "What did you say?"

He looked at her. "Veronica Ross. That's her mother's name."

She grabbed the sheet out of his hand and stared at it. "Holy shit."

"What? Mia what's going on?" Brian asked quickly, confused at his wife's reaction.

Ignoring him, Mia tore through the file until she saw what she was looking for. Pulling out the stapled sheet of paper, she stared at the picture on top.

"Wow, she looks like a real catch." Brian said sarcastically. "What's so important about her, anyway?"

Mia looked at him and her eyes were wide. "Brian…we need to call Dom."

* * *

Nora glanced at the door to her bedroom and tapped her pen repeatedly against her notebook. Dom had gotten a call as they finished up their dinner and had been on edge ever since. They had rushed home, though neither Dom nor Letty made it obvious, and it had been suggested that she start her homework almost as soon as they walked in the door.

Hearing a shout from downstairs, her heart beat faster. She stood, and as quietly a she could she crept to the hallway. She looked in on Jack, who was sound asleep, and then sat on the stairs and listened. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't help it.

In the kitchen, Dom stood with his hands on the back of a chair, his knuckles bulging. "She told me-"

"I know what she told you Dom." Mia said quietly and laid her hand on his shoulder. "She lied."

There was silence for another moment before he sighed. "So…are we sure?"

Brian nodded. "The timeline works out, Dom."

Nora sat on the stairs, wondering what was happening. She didn't know much about this family but she knew something big had to have happened for them to be this rattled. She was about to stand, her guilt for listening in becoming worse, when she heard him speak again.

"Goddammit, Ronnie." Dom muttered. "What have you done?"

Nora stopped in her tracks and was frozen. Now she knew they were talking about her and if they were calling her mother 'Ronnie' it meant they knew her personally. She felt utterly betrayed.

"What is the story with her, anyway?" Brian asked suddenly.

Letty nodded. "Yeah, babe, you never actually told us what went down that day."

Dom paused for a minute before sighing. "You and I were on a break at the time. I hooked up with Ronnie a few times to try and forget about you." He smirked. "It didn't work."

Letty chuckled. "Of course it didn't. Continue."

"We went at it pretty consistently for a few months before I broke it off. I wanted you back; there was no substitute." He told her. "Anyway, about three years later I saw her again. Mia came home from the store and mentioned that someone asked her about my daughter."

Mia nodded. "Apparently she'd been walking around telling everyone that Dominic Toretto had gotten her pregnant. She really wanted the attention back after he'd left her."

From her perch on the stairs, Nora couldn't move. She couldn't believe anything she was hearing, but couldn't tear herself away from it.

Dom took a sip of his beer and continued. "I asked around and people said they'd seen her with a child. I went and bought a stuffed animal and went to confront her. I wanted to see my daughter." He paused. "She told me the baby had died, and the child she was seen with was her niece. She said it wasn't any of my problem. Then that big brute she was with told me to get lost and never come back."

"That's terrible." Mia said quietly, holding Brian's hand in her own.

"That must be what she sleeps with." Brian muttered to Mia.

Dom nodded. "I still remember dropping the toy and walking away. It was one of the worst days of my life. I can remember it all perfectly. The wind was blowing, a storm was coming in, the stuffed animal was blue with a-"

"White ribbon and white paws."

Everyone turned to look at her. Dom stared at the teenager in front of him in awe. In the span of an hour she'd gone from a lost-looking foster kid to his own child. The child he thought he'd lost a long time ago.

"I was there." She said quickly, breaking up the awkward moment. "They hid me away when they saw you coming. When you dropped the puppy, it landed about a foot from me. I grabbed it before they could and no matter what they did they couldn't get it away from me." **(A/N: True story from someone I know. So sad.)**

"That's incredible." Letty whispered.

"I knew it was from my father. I understood that much, at least. But I never remembered the details about him." She looked at him. "Now I know."

Dom cleared his throat. "So you've been alive this whole time…and I never knew?"

She made no move to respond, but watched him carefully. The other three adults watched them quietly, touched by the emotional moment.

"You're my daughter?" Dom's voice broke as he spoke.

"I'm sorry." Then she ran out of the room.

A few minutes later, Letty opened her bedroom door and saw her sitting against the wall in tears. Sliding down next to her, she stayed quiet and waited for Nora to speak.

"He's mad, isn't he?" She asked quietly.

Letty nodded. "Yes, he is. But not at you, honey. He's mad that your mom lied to him about something to big and so terrible."

Nora nodded and paused for a minute, before chuckling through her tears. "So I guess you're my stepmom, huh?"

The older woman smiled. "Yeah…sorry."

Nora let out a strangled laugh at her comment before breaking down into tears. Letty pulled her close and hugged her for a moment, letting her get it all out. Then she looked up at the doorway and saw Dom watching them with his arms crossed.

When Nora calmed down, Letty pulled away. "I think there's someone who wants to talk to you."

Nora looked up and saw Dom. She hesitated, before standing and wiping her eyes. Then she glanced at Letty and smiled at them. "Hi…I'm your daughter."


	7. Chapter 7

**"Everyone here is an aspiring writer. Respect your fellow members and lend a helping a hand when they need it. Like many things, the path to becoming a better writer is often a two way street."**

 **This is a rule in the guidelines. Yes, it says to lend a helping hand, but it does not say to put people down or be mean. It says to respect. To the people saying that I am not listening to help or that I am "clearly not a mature adult" and such, this is not helping me. I am taking comments and learning from them. But when they are riddled with hate, it doesn't help anyone. It only hurts.**

 **Fanfiction isn't the same as writing a novel. The great thing about fanfiction is that you can take a piece of work that you love and alter it to fit whatever you having cooking up in your brain. It doesn't have to be real; it doesn't have to always make sense. This is a story I thought of one day and wanted to see it play out. I am not looking to publish it or get anything from it. I can write whatever I damn well please, as long as I am not breaking the website's rules, which I am not.**

 **If you keep telling me that you are wasting your time reading this...fine. I am just going to laugh, because you wasted even more time replying with a million paragraphs. I will say this again, I like constructive criticism. You can be nice to a person and not use name-calling and such, but still not give a positive review. If you name-call, who is the child in that case? I do not expect all positive reviews. I just thought as adults, we could be nicer about how we handle things. I guess I was wrong.**

 **For the people who do like my story: Thank you! I am glad that you do. I will not stop writing it just because some people don't. It is their right to dislike it, just like it is my right to keep writing it. Luckily, I have gotten more praise than hate, which helps me keep going. My anxiety thanks you guys.**

 **Dislcaimer: I do not own Fast and Furious or anything familiar about it.**

* * *

"So…what happens now?"

Nora sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. It had been a few days since the parental drama had gone down and it was still hard to believe for most of them. After pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts, she shrugged and drew another thick, black line under her eye.

"You know, I'm not really sure." She replied, looking at her work in the mirror.

Paige sat up on her bed and crossed her legs. "I mean…it is true, isn't it? It couldn't be a lie, right?"

Nora shook her head. "We did the blood test. It's true." She paused again. "Dom is really my father. It's weird, you know? I never thought I'd get to say that about anybody. Now I do and…" She shook her head and turned to face her friend.

"So are you going to move in there now?" Paige snorted as she look at her eye makeup; one eye was super dark and the other hadn't been touched. "Nice look for you, by the way."

Nora raised her eyebrow and stuck her tongue out. "Oh, thanks. You know…I don't know what will happen yet. I'm still with Brian and Mia, but I know they're all looking into it. Dom wasn't on the birth certificate, so the blood test and everything is going through Noelle still."

"Are they planning on taking you in?" The other girl wondered.

"I don't really know. I mean…I know they aren't going anywhere; that is certain. I'm just not sure what they want to do yet." Nora looked back at the mirror and continued with her makeup.

"It's Letty, isn't it?" Paige asked, an edge in her voice. "She doesn't want you around does she?"

"No!" Nora paused. "I don't know. But she hasn't been anything but nice to me. Even if she does have a problem, at least she isn't being a bitch about it. It can't be easy for her, either."

Paige nodded but decided to change the subject. "So am I to assume that this whole situation has turned you goth now, or….?" She joked and dodged the pillow that was thrown at her.

Nora rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious. No…this is for the musical. I am not used to wearing this much makeup and I want to look like a convincing Wednesday; hence the picture and the dark eyes. I want to look perfect."

"You will." Paige told her. "I like it already."

"You have to say that." Nora said. "You know I'd kick your butt, otherwise."

"Yeah, but still. I mean it." She smiled. "So what are your plans for Halloween?"

"I'm taking Jack trick or treating." Nora met Paige's eye in the mirror. "Mia and Brian are working, so I offered to take him." She smirked. "You should come with."

"Oh that's funny." Paige said sarcastically. "You know that I hate Halloween."

"I know…but you could dress up and I bet we could scare up some candy." Nora said hopefully.

"Nor, that kid is so in love with you he'd give you his whole bag if you asked." Paige pointed out.

Nora just looked at her. Paige had never liked this holiday, she knew that, but it didn't stop her from wanting her to join them. Finally, Paige sighed and nodded.

"Oh fine, I'll go." She relented. "But you owe me."

"Yes!" Nora laughed and jumped on top of her. "You're the best."

After that, they both went back to the things they were working on. As she focused on her face in the mirror, however, Nora couldn't help but notice that Paige glanced at her every few minutes. After some time went by, she finally faced her again.

"Okay…what's up?" Nora asked her. "We were fine a little bit ago. What happened?"

Paige bit her lip and sighed. "I've wanted to ask this all night but I didn't want you to get mad at me."

"Ask what?"

"What is going on with you and Dustin?" She asked seriously.

Nora stared at her. Ever since they'd first met, Paige had acted weird whenever he was mentioned or seen. It greatly ticked Nora off, but she'd never said anything about it before now.

"What the Hell, Paige?" She asked her.

"You guys seem awfully close lately." She argued. "I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything going on between you two."

Nora rolled her eyes. "He asked and I told him I was taken. Does that make you happy? I'm not a tramp."

"I never said you were!" Paige groaned. "I'm just…worried, that's all. Life is changing pretty quickly all of a sudden and I don't like it. I'm sorry."

Nora looked at her and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I know it's changing and it's because of me. You're the best, I just…I don't like people insinuating things."

Paige nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I just had to ask or it would have killed me."

Nora laughed. "Of course it would have."

* * *

It seemed as though recently, it was a rare phenomenon that the whole group wasn't together in one capacity or another. After work the men had decided to go let off some steam, and the women took full advantage of the opportunity for some girl talk of their own.

Looking out the window to make sure Nora wasn't home yet, Giselle handed Letty a margarita. "So how are things with you and Dom?"

She sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Well…I mean it's definitely weird now. When I married him, I definitely didn't think that this could even happen."

"Are you okay with everything, though?" Mia asked. "I can't even imagine how you feel finding out that Dom has a daughter…"

"It's not ideal, I'll give you that." Letty told them. "But honestly…I should be mad. I should be furious and upset and hurt. My husband has a teenage daughter and after pining for him my entire life, I find out the first time we were apart he was with someone else."

Sharing a look with Giselle, Mia leaned forward. "But…"

"But I'm not." Letty told them honestly. "I could be all of those things, but I'm just not. I know most people would be angry or sad; they would have that right. Hell, I have that right. But then I see how Dom is with her and the look on his face when he talks to or about her. He already loves her. He was a wonderful guy before this, and now he's becoming an even better one. Yeah, I wish he hadn't done it but…what's done is done. There is no going back now. We weren't together...he didn't cheat on me, technically. So why should I be so mad at him?"

"You're kind of like a parent now." Giselle smiled. "How does that feel?"

"I am a parent now; that was the case the second the information was certain." Letty told her. "I mean, Dom and I have been trying for kids for a while now, you guys know that. We've been getting discouraged lately about it, because obviously nothing is happening.

"Then Nora came along. I can't say it is the ideal situation, but I've thought about it and we've talked about it. We have prayed for a child so much…now we have been blessed with one." Then she smiled. "Granted we didn't think it would a teenager right off the bat, but…"

The other two laughed with her. It was at that moment the front door opened and Nora walked in. She didn't see them at first, but smiled when she noticed them all sitting there. "Oh, hi. Sorry, I didn't know there was a party going on tonight."

"No party. The guys decided to go out so we thought we'd get together and talk wedding details." Mia smiled and looked at Giselle. "You are just in time to help us."

Nora shook her head. "I don't want to intrude. You don't have to include me just because you feel bad, you know."

"Oh, be quiet." Letty chuckled. "We want you to."

At that comment, Nora shrugged and plopped onto the couch next to her. "Well okay then. I do love weddings."

They started discussing minor details for a bit, until at one point the doorbell rang. When Mia got up to answer it, she walked back with Noelle behind her.

"Hello Nora." Noelle said with a smile.

"Noelle! I didn't expect you." Nora said. "Though I guess that is how these things work."

Noelle nodded and turned to the other two ladies. "Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt your evening. I am Nora's social worker."

Letty stood and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Letty, and that is Giselle. We're Nora's family."

Noelle looked at her for a moment. "You're Dominic's wife, right? This must all be a big shock for you."

"It is…but it's okay." She smiled at Nora. "Nora's a great girl."

"I agree." Noelle smiled again. "Actually, if I could steal Nora away for a few minutes that would be great. I just want to chat about everything."

Nora nodded and led her into the kitchen, away from everyone else. Once they were seated at the table, Noelle sighed. "So…how is everything?"

"It's okay." Nora told her. "It's a little awkward right now but it isn't terrible."

"How are you now that everything is out in the open?" She asked the girl, watching carefully for her reaction.

Nora took a moment before responding. "Honestly…it's actually going better than I would have thought. I'm…afraid to admit how much I like it here." She looked up at the woman. "You know why."

Noelle nodded. "I do know. But don't worry about that right now, okay? Focus on other things. Tell me about Dominic."

At this, Nora smiled a little. "It was awkward at first, I won't lie. But we seem to be working through that pretty quickly. Neither of us like awkward, so it works for us I think. I'm glad I finally know what happened with everything. I could have gone forever thinking my dad was a dead beat and instead he's a responsible guy with a great family." She paused. "The only thing I care about right now is that he's here…and I'm pretty sure he doesn't going anywhere, either. At least, that is what I'm being told."

"I'm glad." Noelle laid a hand on Nora's across the table. "I'm very pleased with your progress here. You've done better here than at any other foster home you have been in. Now the question is, how do you feel about everyone else?"

"They're my family, and that means something to me." She said quickly and sincerely. "They were before I was blood. They don't even care about blood, honestly. Family is family. They've told me multiple times that 'not all family is blood, and not all blood is family'. It's nice."

Noelle nodded. "My last question, then. Do they know about Paige yet?"

Nora shook her head. "No, they don't. I don't know when I should…or if I should."

"Honey, if they really are you family and they care about you as much as you say they do, they won't care. I know it can be scary, but remember that."

Nora nodded and they stood. When they walked back into the living room, Giselle was complaining. "We just can't decide! Out of all the things we could be fretting over, I never thought music would be the biggest."

Smiling at Noelle, who waved her away, she sat next to Letty and chuckled at the woman's concern. "If that is the only thing you guys can't figure out, I think you're doing pretty well."

While they spoke, Mia stood to walk Noelle to the door. Once they were out of earshot, she faced her. "Is everything okay?"

"Of course, Mia. You guys are doing a wonderful job with her. Thank you for that." Noelle looked over at the teenager. "She's special to me, so I'm happy that she is happy. I know that is what you want to."

Mia was a little confused at the tone of voice she used, but didn't comment on it. "Well she's family. We love her and will always take care of her."

"I know." Then she turned to the group again. "Not to pry, but if music is your problem, the answer you seek is sitting right in front of you."

Then she smiled and left the house. As Mia shut the door, she shook her head. "Duh, we should have had you talk to Nora in the first place. Music is her forte after all."

"I guess I can help." Nora shrugged. "What are you looking for?"

"We want something that hasn't been done a million times. We're not ones to follow the crowd, so we want something that stands out." Giselle told her. "We just can't decide what that would be."

"I think you might want someone to write something for you. Having an original song definitely covers that requirement and maybe even having someone perform it might appeal to you." She shrugged again. "I don't know what you're looking at but it might be an option to consider."

"That is a really good idea." She replied. "Do you write?"

Nora was taken aback but nodded. "Uh…yeah. I'm not like, a professional or anything, but…"

Giselle shook her head. "We don't need professional. We just need something nice that we can dance to."

"But it's your wedding. You don't want a high schooler writing your song!" Nora argued.

"We want you." She told the girl. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it would really help us out."

"I mean…okay." Nora told her. "I guess I can do it."

They spoke about the music for a few more minutes before Letty raised an eyebrow at her. "So…I overheard you telling Dustin the other day that you were dating someone."

Nora felt a blush creep into her cheeks. "Uh…yeah. I did tell him that."

She felt her heartrate pick up as Letty smiled at her. "Let me guess, Paige is jealous."

The beating of her heart stopped and the air went out of her in one swoosh. "What?"

"I am right, aren't I?" Letty asked. "You and Paige are dating."

Timidly, Nora nodded and waited for a reaction. She hadn't planned on coming out that way, but after hiding it from everyone for so long, part of her was glad it was finally out there. "I am bi."

Finally understanding what Noelle was referring to, Mia nodded. "Well that's wonderful."

"Hey you guys are pretty cute together." Giselle told her. "How did you meet?"

Shocked, Nora blinked at them. "We met when we started high school. We had gym together." The she shook her head. "Hold on, you mean you guys don't care?"

Letty shook her head. "Of course not. It wasn't too hard for me to figure it out so I've figured this might be the case for a while. But…we support you no matter what as long as you are safe and happy."

Nora smiled. "Thank you. Not everyone is as nice as you guys."

"Well your Mom can shut up." Letty told her. "I assume that is who you mean."

"Yeah. She thinks it is a trend and I just want attention." Nora shrugged again. "Oh well. Who cares right?"

Letty hugged her and smiled. "Now…let's talk dresses."

And just like that, everything went back to the normal night they had been having an hour earlier. Nora couldn't have been happier than she was in that moment.

* * *

 **No homophobic comments please. And yes, I know. "Of course she is doing the song. How ironic that they want something original when this story isn't!" I know. I get it. But again: my story, my content. Don't read if you don't like it. It's as simple as that.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the delay in updating. I have been dealing with some stuff and didn't have enough time to post until now. I am not sure which day I will post another chapter. It will hopefully be tomorrow, but we shall see. For those of you who watch it, if you don't hear from me before the Super Bowl (hopefully you will), have fun if you're going somewhere and please be safe! Thanks guys!**

 **To Jamie: I am basing their situation on a situation someone I know is going through, so that is part of it. When she explained how she felt, it made me think of this story and my interpretation of Letty. What she told me was that the child is a piece of him. For someone who has loved him for so long, she loves every piece of him, good and bad. Nora comes along and even though she is so old, she is a piece of him and she can't help but love that piece, whether she is put off a bit about it or not. The whole explanation is really long but that is the basis of it. I know people do and probably will disagree with me, but that is how my friend explained it, so I use that when writing this. I hope that answers your question!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fast and Furious.**

* * *

It wasn't long until every house was decorated and the stores were sold out of their candy aisles. It was the time of year when kids dressed up as their favorite characters or heroes, and adults took advantage of the sweets their children brought home and wouldn't miss.

Nora smiled as she stood on the stairs and watched Mia and Brian take pictures of their little red Power Ranger before school started. It was only a few minutes before he would leave the house with Mia and spend the day celebrating with Halloween parties at his preschool. As Brian was taking her to school that day so Mia could attend the parties with Jack, Nora simply sat and watched the young parents indulge in their son.

Ten minutes later, Nora and Brian were leaving the house, and she couldn't help but notice the man's facial expression. "You're sad you are working."

He nodded. "I am."

"Why don't you take the day off?" She asked curiously. "You know Dom and Letty wouldn't care."

"We need the money." He said simply. "I know they wouldn't care. But we have a lot of work to do today. Jack understands. Actually, he is super excited that you and Paige are taking him out."

Nora smiled. "I think he's the only reason Paige is going. She hates Halloween."

"Why?" He asked her, surprised that the lively girl didn't like the holiday.

Nora shrugged. "As far as I know she always has. She let slip once that she got sick after eating the candy one year, but I'm not sure if it is true or if she just didn't want to talk about it."

"Well I'm glad you got her to go out tonight." He said with a smile. "Now, you remember what time it starts right?"

"Four-thirty." She said quickly. "I should have him home only a few hours later. I know…you've told me a million times."

Brian winced. "Yeah…sorry. Protective, I guess."

Nora nodded. "I know, but don't worry. Both Paige and I will be there, so nothing will happen. All you'll be dealing with is a nasty case of a sugar high."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh great." Then he paused. "Are you referring to him or you?"

She gaped at him and laughed. "Him!"

"I'm just asking." He mentioned as he pulled to a stop in front of the school. "Speaking of Paige."

Paige waited for Nora to get out of the car and then threw an arm around her girlfriend. "What's up, Mr. O'Connor?"

"How many times do I have to ask you to call me Brian?" He joked and she shrugged.

"Probably a lot…Mr. O'Connor." She grinned.

Nora shook her head and waved at Brian. "I'll see you later. Thanks for the ride."

He nodded and drove off. Once he was gone, the girls walked to the school hand in hand.

…

"Nora!"

The teenager sighed as she heard Jack call her name for the fourth time. "Hang on, Jack!"

She quickly put the finishing touches on her makeup and hurried down the stairs. At the bottom, the little red Power Ranger was jumping up and down, a little plastic bucket in his hand. When she reached him, he stopped and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"Who are you?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I'm a character named Wednesday Addams." She told him.

"Is that who you are in your play?" He wondered, and she had to smile at the cute look on his face.

"Yes it is. How did you know that?" She asked as they walked out the front door.

He shrugged dramatically. "I'm smart."

She laughed. "Of course you are!"

"What is he now?"

They looked up and Jack got excited again when he saw Paige coming up the front steps. "Paige! Paige! Paige!"

"Hey kid." She smiled. "You look great."

He grinned at her really big and both teenagers laughed as he shot forward and the chased after him.

…

It was becoming sunset when the trio decided to head back toward the house. They hadn't been out too long, but Nora knew Mia and Brian would be eager to see their son again and hear about his day before he had to go to bed. Or attempt to go to bed, as he was currently bouncing off the walls in the sugar high she had predicted earlier that day. They'd tried to stop him as best they could from eating the candy, but he had snuck a few pieces when they weren't looking. Now he was hyper and Nora couldn't wait to get him home so she could relax a little bit.

"Oh monster, you're going to regret stealing that candy." She told him.

He stopped his bouncing and looked up at her. "I don't know what regret means."

As she and Paige laughed at his innocent expression, he went back to talking. As they turned the corner, Paige sighed. "Well, this is where I leave you."

Nora nodded. "Thank you for coming out with us tonight. It meant a lot to him."

Paige smiled as Jack hugged her. "Well, it wasn't so bad. Maybe I will give up my hatred for the holiday after all."

As Jack dug through his bucket again, Paige kissed Nora on the lips quickly, and then turned with a wave. They watched her walk down the block, before climbing up her front steps and disappearing through the front door.

Nora turned to Jack and raised an eyebrow. "Ready to go home?"

He nodded and they started walking. As they crossed the street, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Thanks for taking me."

"I was happy to, monster. I love Halloween." She told him. "But I know your mom and dad can't wait to see you."

He nodded again and they continued toward the house. When they were only a block away, Nora heard a loud scream from behind her. She only glanced away for a second, but when turned around again, jack was running.

"Look, Nora! Uncle Dom's car!" He said excitedly and her heart stopped as his foot stepped off of the curb at the same moment a car came speeding down the street.

"Jack!" She screamed and took off at a run after him.

She'd never run so fast in her life and the next thing she knew she was looking up directly at the darkening sky above her. It took her a minute to figure out what had happened, but the screeching of the old car brought her back to her senses quickly.

It had been fast acting on her part to move Jack out of the path of the car, but she was not as lucky. Her trip over the windshield had hurt, but now that she was thinking again her eyes searched around her for the four year old.

"Jack?" She shouted and though it pained her, she sat.

She saw him instantly and sighed a breath of relief. He was kneeling close to her and tears were running down his face. When he caught her eye he crawled to her and she hugged him. She silently winced in pain, but she knew comforting him was more important. Then her brain caught up with her.

She pulled away and looked at him. "It's okay, Jack."

"But…you're hurted." He hiccupped.

She shook her head. "I'm okay, I promise."

"Mommy and daddy are gonna be mad." He said, his lip quivering as he spoke. "I ran out and didn't hold your hand."

Though she hated to make him feel guilty, she nodded. "Yeah, they are. You broke the rules, Jack." Then she paused. "Listen, if we don't say anything about what happened, you won't get in trouble."

He looked up at her with wide, wet eyes and sniffled. "But…"

"I won't say anything, Jack. But you can't either." She said. "You can't tell them what happened, okay?"

She felt bad for making him feel guilty, but she couldn't have them knowing she was hurt. She'd gone for years being yelled at for the inconveniences of her injuries and wasn't about to have it happen again.

She waited until finally he nodded and stood in front of her. Biting her lip, she hoisted herself up and had to pause for a moment while her vision cleared. Her midsection was killing her but she put on a smile and gripped the child's hand again. When they finally reached the house, Nora gave him a look before opening the door.

"You're back!" Mia shouted and picked up Jack in her arms.

Nora nodded. "Yep! Paige had to get home, but we had fun." She kept the smile on her face, but noticed Dom staring at her. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. You guys just seem…off."

She chuckled and fought not to wince at the pain it caused. "It's the sugar. He managed to sneak into it while we weren't looking, and well…"

Brian groaned. "Oh jeez."

"Well we'll deal with it later. I want a picture!" Mia told them excitedly and grabbed her camera. "I have a lot of him from this morning, but none with Nora."

Once again, Nora said nothing about her pain as she struggled to kneel down next to him. She saw Jack look at her, but he did a good job of not giving anything away. They took a few quick pictures before she feigned a headache and escaped quickly to her room.

As she changed, she took some Advil and hissed as she looked in the mirror. There was a huge bruise already forming along her ribs that would be hard to hide.

"Shit." She said through her teeth. "There's no way I'm hiding this for long."

Then she pulled her shirt over it and tried to come up with a plan. She wasn't sure what she would do, but something had to work. It just had to.

* * *

 **Shoutout to my friend for letting me use her horrible experience for my story. She's the real MVP.**


End file.
